Rohan walked toward the dormitory.
He sent a message to Sion and Clara, letting them know that he was on his way.
Then he brought up the notification window he needed to check.
Should I put off checking the third classified footage for now?
The notification about the main story being broken was bothering him, and besides, his physical condition wasn’t perfect yet.
It would be troublesome if he collapsed like before.
Aside from Inflict Weakness, my Unique Skill level has gone up too.
Back when he had been half-conscious, hadn’t he only used Inflict Weakness?
Now was the time to leisurely read through the information he had overlooked.
[Shop — Lv.3]
◇ Transcendence (1 time) – 35,000P (One-time purchase)
◇ Unique Weapon – 30,000P (One-time purchase)
◇ Potion of Chatting with Monsters – 800P
◇ Potion of Chatting with Animals – 700P
◇ Intermediate Stamina/Mana Potion – 500P
◇ Fatigue Recovery Pill – 200P
··
··
◇ Lowest-grade Stamina/Mana Potion – 100P
◇ Restaurant Reservation Ticket – 50P
◇ Concentration-enhancing Incense – 50P
··
··
[Remaining Points – 13,225P]
Transcendence has been added to the items for sale, and there are more kinds of consumables now. Chatting with animals? Does that mean I can communicate like with Noah?
There were so many interesting items that he felt the urge to buy them all.
Since he still had plenty of remaining points, the temptation grew even stronger.
Even after purchasing the 20,000-point level-up, look at that reassuring balance.
It was the brilliance gifted by the points pouch he had received from the achievement of taking down Omega.
No, no. Gotta hold back. I need to buy a weapon or Transcendence first.
Rohan closed the shop window and opened the next Unique Skill.
[Sword of the Holy Judgement of the Heavenly Sun — Lv.2]
◇ First Sword — Blazing Slash
◇ Second Sword — Falling Sun at Dawn
◇ Third Sword – Radiant Wing Drill
The newly revealed third sword.
Rohan immediately understood what kind of sword technique Radiant Wing Drill was.
A thrusting technique. Using momentary elasticity with a relaxed body to thrust while generating flames. It also requires adding rotation using mana and wrist strength. It needs both a strong core and flexibility.
His understanding of the stance and principle was, quite literally, only at the level of comprehension.
Without extensive practice, it wouldn’t be usable in actual combat.
…This is tough.
Even if the movement itself was simple, the difficulty of applying mana had skyrocketed.
He couldn’t even begin to imagine how difficult the next sword would be.
“Hmmm.”
Still, the answer was obvious.
It never changed.
What can I do? I just have to work hard.
Even though a difficult task had been assigned to him, the truth was, he was happy.
Just the fact that he could feel himself steadily growing stronger became its own motivation.
When he finally arrived at the dormitory late at night and closed the door behind him, Sion and Clara who had been quietly waiting in hiding greeted him warmly.
“Oppa!”
“Rohan. You’ve worked hard.”
He really liked the warmth of having someone wait for him and welcome him back.
“You were surprised I got back so soon, right? Did you two get along well?”
“Mhmm, mhmm! Did you see the messages I sent with Unnie?”
“It looked like there were too many to read them all. We just kept sending whatever came to mind, and it ended up like that.”
Rohan unpacked his things as they continued chatting and laughing about trivial things.
Wondering what he should tell the girls first, he decided to wash up before anything else.
“I’m gonna go take a shower.”
“Ah, uh, o-okay…! The towels are back in their usual spot!”
“Thanks.”
Just as he grabbed some comfortable clothes and was about to head to the bathroom, Sion silently approached and poked his shoulder.
“Rohan, did you have dinner yet?”
“Not yet, I’m starving. What about you and Clara?”
“We haven’t eaten yet either. But we’ve already prepared dinner. Wash up and let’s eat together.”
“Oh! I’ll be quick.”
An unexpected surprise.
His steps sped up. He completely forgot that he had been thinking about going out to eat.
“Looks like I really need to learn how to cook now.”
“Absolutely not. I still prefer your cooking.”
“M-Me too…!”
Dinner was a meal the two of them had cooked themselves.
It was touching. Not just because they thought of him, but because they had made it with their own hands.
On top of that, it tasted amazing, and he was already on his third bowl of instant rice.
“Rohan, Lady Yuho gave us the contact information of a real estate agent in Academy City.”
“Let’s go check out the house together. It’s a lot of money, so we shouldn’t just trust anyone just because they were recommended.”
“Heh, fair point.”
“I feel like everything will be fine if you’re with us…! Plus, getting around will be easier too…”
“I promised from the start that I’d go with you, didn’t I? We even agreed to go shopping together.”
As Rohan finished off the last of his rice and side dishes cleanly.
Sion and Clara smiled warmly at the sight of Rohan.
“Oppa, are you busy tomorrow? Do you have time…?”
“I’m going to the Academy, but I don’t have any classes. I’ll probably just chat here and there and head back. I don’t know when I’ll be done, but other than that, I don’t have any plans.”
“Then let’s all go shopping together tomorrow. If we have time, I’d like to look at houses too.”
Rohan nodded without hesitation.
He had already been thinking about getting a handgun, and with two experts by his side, this was the perfect opportunity.
Maybe I should save the whole magic-infused bullet thing as a surprise for tomorrow.
He wondered how they would react.
Even if they were just surprised, that would be more than enough for him.
“Sion, are you sleeping over at Clara’s place tonight?”
“Mhmm!”
“That’s the plan.”
Rohan immediately got dressed.
“I’ll walk you there. Let’s go.”
“Oppa! Let me just do the dishes first…!”
“It’s fine. I’ll do them, so let’s head out. And on the way, I should probably explain why the exam ended early too.”
For a moment, he considered hiding what had happened on the deserted island, thinking it might just worry them.
But the three of them had already agreed to move as a team, so there was no way he could keep quiet.
If I stayed silent and they ended up hearing about this incident from someone else… that would be the worst possible outcome.
Trying to cover up something this big would only crack the trust between them.
Besides, the Reverse Reverence Society was ultimately connected to Sion’s revenge.
This was also the perfect chance to naturally share all sorts of extra information without it feeling out of place.
“I got treated to dinner, so I’ll buy you both something to drink.”
“Rohan, would it be alright if I borrowed these clothes just for today?”
“M-Me too, these clothes…”
Sion ended up borrowing even Rohan’s t-shirt and workout clothes.
Clara, as usual, was draped in one of Rohan’s outer garments over her flashy outfit.
“I don’t mind.”
Satisfied with his permission, the two girls followed as Rohan led them out into the night streets.
It looked like it was going to be quite a long conversation.
··
··
It was a day without classes at Orion Academy.
When Rohan arrived at Class 1, he sat down next to Gilbert and thought back to the night before.
It was exhausting… but I made it through a big hurdle.
Explaining everything that had happened on the deserted island to Sion and Clara had ended up trapping him there for nearly four hours.
Every time he added another word, the girls would vividly express their emotions, and calming them down had been a real struggle.
Clatter—
Just then, Dick Wikitree appeared, trudging in through the front door before sprawling across the back seat.
Rohan looked at him with a puzzled face.
“You’re here. You already ate; so what’s with that face?”
“Because of all the stuff Gilbert made me eat… my stomach’s still messed up…”
“Blaming me is merely proof of your own weakness! Do I not look perfectly fine myself?”
Dick glanced briefly at Gilbert’s face and let out a deep sigh.
“…If we get paired together for another test, I’m forfeiting.”
“If we end up on the same team again, I’ll knock you out first. Time to fix that attitude.”
While their utterly pointless war of words dragged on without a shred of nutrition…
Clatter!
The door slid open, and Joo-yeon entered.
It was rare for Joo-yeon to show up in class outside of lesson time, so the students who had been goofing off froze in place and blinked in surprise.
“Hmm, it’s a little early, but I’m going to start interviews with whoever’s available. The rest of you can relax and take it easy.”
Joo-yeon’s gaze turned to Rohan.
Without a word of complaint, Rohan got up from his seat and followed Joo-yeon.
Just like that, Rohan became the first to volunteer, and he was now in the middle of his interview with Joo-yeon.
He shared everything he knew about Omega in as much detail as possible.
“I see. So he crawled out from the mouth of a worm that had burrowed through the ground. That’s certainly a bizarre method I’ve never even heard of.”
“Yes. And he also mentioned that he was going to send us to someone as a sample.”
“Hmm…”
With a serious expression, Joo-yeon tapped away at the keyboard, entering the information.
“How’s your physical condition?”
“I’m fine. No discomfort anywhere.”
“Still, you never know. Go get checked again at the infirmary.”
“Understood.”
Joo-yeon picked up her mug and gulped down the pitch-black coffee.
As Rohan quietly observed her side profile, he could clearly see her fatigue.
It wasn’t just her.
Looking around, it was obvious that the instructors hadn’t been able to go home and had spent the night at the academy.
Some were busy handling an endless stream of phone calls, while others were sorting through mountains of meeting notes.
Even Instructor Carrot who was sitting across the room had her rabbit ears drooping lower than usual. She was clearly not in good shape.
“Instructor.”
“Hmm?”
“Did you not get to go home last night?”
“That’s not something a student needs to worry about.”
Joo-yeon smiled and lightly tapped Rohan’s forehead with her finger.
“Next question…”
As Rohan sincerely answered her questions one by one, he thought of the shop.
Even if I bought her a recovery potion, there’s no way she’d accept something from a student.
He didn’t mind using his points for his savior. But knowing Joo-yeon’s personality, it was obvious she wouldn’t take it.
That was a bit disappointing.
“Rohan.”
“Yes.”
After finishing one of her questions, Joo-yeon began to use her magic.
It felt as if the space around them had been isolated.
Sound didn’t spread; it simply lingered inside.
“You have quite a special skill.”
“……”
Rohan shut his mouth tightly.
Seeing how tense he looked, Joo-yeon smiled soundlessly.
“No need to be so stiff. I’m not trying to dig into it. But as your instructor, there’s something I have to say.”
“I’m listening.”
“Be very careful when using it. If it becomes widely known, all sorts of trouble might come your way.”
“…Yes!”
When Rohan showed his determination to keep that in mind, Joo-yeon seemed satisfied and withdrew her magic.
“This concludes our meeting. When you go back, just send over one student from Class 1 who’s available for a meeting.”
“I understand how it works.”
“You can either go to the infirmary for a check-up or rest in the classroom. As your instructor, I recommend the former.”
“I’ll send someone over and head straight to the infirmary.”
Rohan got up from his seat, gave a polite bow, and stepped out of the faculty office.
“Is your meeting over?”
“Huh?”
As soon as he stepped outside, the first thing Rohan saw was Ichinose.
After quietly closing the door, Rohan found himself facing the girl who had her eyes closed.
“Want to go in next? The instructor told me to find the next student for the meeting.”
“Okay. But before that, I was actually looking for you because I had something to say.”
“To me?”
Ichinose hugged her sword tightly and gave a small nod.
Lowering her head, she bit her lip for a moment before mustering up the courage to speak.
“…Rohan. What do you think about the three of us going out for a meal together today?”
By three, she was clearly including Noah as well.
It seemed like a continuation of the conversation they had just yesterday.
Rohan found himself wondering where the confidence from back then had gone, but regardless, it was a suggestion that genuinely made him happy.
However.
As much as it pained him.
“Sorry.”
Rohan already had a prior engagement with the girls from the dormitory.
***
Next up is Ichinose Yui, huh.
Joo-yeon flipped through the documents as she watched the petite girl walk into the faculty office.
“Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Uh… yes…”
“Hmm?”
Gone was her usual sharp and composed demeanor. Rather, it was replaced by a blank look.
She seemed somewhat deflated, even slightly dazed, with her lips parted as though she had just suffered a shock.
Of course, Joo-yeon had no idea why.
Leave a Reply